Right Brain Versus Left Brain and What it Means for You

Understanding which type of brain you have can give you insight into how well you may be able to perform certain tasks in your academic career.

And, while having a “right brain” or a “left brain” doesn’t solidify your actual skills, knowing which brain type you have can help you achieve higher success in school if you find yourself struggling with specific subjects.

Today we are going to look at the two brain types so you can adjust your study skills and boost your grades.

However, if you want to skip taking the test, and just want to know about each brain type, keep reading.

The Theory Behind Brain Dominance

In the 1960s, Nobel Peace Prize winner Roger W. Sperry researched on the brain. He concluded that everyone, including animals, have two brain halves that function somewhat differently from each other.

He determined that the left hemisphere of the brain is more connected to characteristics such as abstract and analytical thought, while the right hemisphere of the brain is more inclined to understanding spatial patterns and complex sounds such as music.

Right Brain

If your right brain is more dominant, you tend to be more creative, artistic, and visual. In fact, data suggests that those that prefer to think in terms of the “right brain” have more:

Imagination

Rhythm

Nonverbal cues

Holistic thoughts

Intuition

Daydreams

Sometimes right brain thinkers can get lost in their thoughts, making concentration on one subject more difficult. That said, right brain students are usually good at the social sciences and arts.

Also, right brain thinkers tend to recognize faces, express emotions, understand music, and enjoy bright colors more so than left brain thinkers.

Left Brain

If your left brain is more dominant, you tend to be more analytic, methodical, and organized. The data surrounding left brain thinkers suggest that those that are “left brain” dominant have more:

Also, left brain thinkers are thought to enjoy numbers, reasoning, language, and critical thinking more so than their right brain counterparts.

The Perfect Mix

Something that many people don’t realize is that not all people are right or left brain dominant. Instead, they are a mixture between the two.

Taking the strongest qualities from each side of the brain, and making them work together, makes a mix brain student the best kind. They can tap into their creativity, yet focus on the task at hand. They can think logically, without too much emotion, but allow for spontaneous thought to occur as well.

This flexibility sets students up for nothing success when they enter college and eventually the workforce.

Also, it has been noted that those who can master both halves of their brain have the strongest math skills.

In the end, though some may say that the theory of right-brain, left-brain thinking is outdated, there is no denying that students’ personalities seem to fall onto one side or the other at some point.

It’s always good to determine your strengths, whether you attribute them to being a right or left brain thinker so that you can focus on your weaknesses and make them stronger. After all, that’s how you’ll grow as a person.